Supreme Court rejects Trump mail ballot restrictions ahead of midterms
PBS News Hour – Politics — 2026-09-14 20:02:00 — www.pbs.org
Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Push to Restrict Mail Ballots, Undercutting His False Claims of Fraud
The Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump’s attempt to impose new restrictions on mail-in ballots for the midterm elections, marking a significant defeat for Trump on an issue he has repeatedly claimed is central to election integrity.
Trump’s Efforts to Restrict Mail Voting
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow last-minute restrictions on mail ballots, even as voting was already underway in several states. The proposed plan would have forced states to adopt a uniform envelope style and submit lists of eligible voters to a federal online portal, with the Postal Service empowered to refuse delivery of ballots to non-compliant states.
False Claims About Mail Ballot Fraud
Trump has long opposed mail voting and has falsely blamed it for his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. Despite his repeated claims, the excerpt notes there is “virtually no evidence of fraud with mail ballots.” In fact, Trump himself has used mail voting, including as recently as this year, contradicting his public attacks on the process.
Court and State Officials Push Back
Lower courts blocked Trump’s plan, with a judge nominated by Trump himself issuing a preliminary injunction. Election officials from multiple states warned that the administration’s requirements would be impossible to implement on short notice and could disenfranchise millions of voters. A whistleblower report further revealed that the proposed system was not properly built and could result in entire batches of ballots being tossed due to technical errors.
Conclusion
Trump’s ongoing efforts to undermine mail voting are not supported by evidence, as highlighted by both the courts and state election officials. The Supreme Court’s decision allows states to continue using established mail ballot procedures, ensuring that voters can cast their ballots securely and reliably. Trump’s repeated falsehoods about mail voting fraud stand in stark contrast to the facts and his own voting behavior, underscoring the lack of basis for his claims.